Apparatus for mining, loading, and conveying material



Aug. 8, 1944.' Rf PEALE ETAL A APPARATS FON MINING, LOADING, AND CONVEYING MATERIAL Filed` April 4-, 1942 7 sheet-sheet'l ArroRNEY l R. PEALE ETAL. 2,355,178V APPARATUS Fon MINING.' LOADING, AND coNvEYING MATERIAL Filed April 4, 1942 '1 sheets-sheet 2 dft/cur A7254 A'rroRNFv Aug. s, 1944. R, PEAL'E HAL 2,355,178

- APPARATUS FR MINING, LOADING, ANDI CONVEYING MATERIAL `mroRNEY Aug..8, 1944. R'. PEALE ETAL 12,355,173

APPARATUS FOR MINING, LOADING, AND CONVEYING MATERIAL A Filed April 4, A1942 7 sheetssheet 4 INVENT A Wok/VFY Aug. 8, 1944. R. PALE ETAL.

APPARATUS Fon MINING, LOADING, AND CONVEYING MATERIAL '7A Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 4, 194,2y

51m/@WM 229.

Aug. 8, 1944. R, PEALE ErAL 2,355,178

APPARATUS FR MINING,' LOADING, AND CONVEYING MATERIAL I mfml ATTORNEY i 1 z um, l mnuml.

Aug. 8, 1944. atPEALE ETAL 2,355,178

APPARATUS FOR MINING, LOADING, AND'coNvEYING MATERIAL ,Filed April 4, 1942 v 7 sheetS-sneet 7- f ,i 5 I I I f I f f I I I I I i u,

ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 8, 1944 APPARATUS Fon MINING,

LOADING, AND

CONVEYING MATERIAL Richard Peale, Clearfield ,(Pa., and Rembrandt Peale, Jr., Greenwich, Conn. l Application April 4, 1942, Serial No. 437,718

1 Claim.

The invention relates to mining and more p-arbe set forth in part hereinafter and in part will f be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claim.

The invention consists in the. novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown andl described.

The accompanying' drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate one embodiment of the invention, `and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings: l

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of apparatus embodying the invention and tor be used in performing the novel method thereof;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section on line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged detail in section taken on line 3-'3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic plan view of one mining operation employing the invention;

Fig. 5 is a similar diagrammatic View showing the invention applied to the cutting and loading out of a room face; l 4

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Figj showing the apparatus at la more advanced point in the same operation; Y Y

Fig. '7 is a similar view showing the operation of 'cutting out or withdrawing a pillar;

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic plan view of a modified form of the invention providing for a short and substantially constant length of travel for the loading skip away from and toward the cutting machine; v

Fig. 9 is a similar diagrammatic View showing a modified form of the invention applying to the cuttingr of a narrow place or cross-cut;

Fig 10' is a diagrammatic plan view of a signalif ling system used in connection with the invention;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of the switching mechanism employed in connection with said signalling system;

Fig. 12 is a vertical section yof a modified form of circular guiding platform and skip; and

Fig. 13 is an operational view similar to Fig. 12.

Objects of the invention vare to` provide a novel method of mining material such as coal wherein a kerf is first cut horizontally in the seam of -material either at the top or bottom thereof, the portion of the seam which is cut then being shotdown in place by explosive and thereafter excavated or loaded out and the loaded material conveyed to the entry for disposal in cars or other receptacles. In accordance with the invention, the step of cutting the next kerf in the solid face of coal is performed simultaneously with the loading out of the coal shot-down from the preceding cut. Thatis, the invention provides the novel method of simultaneously loading out a shot-down face of' coal while cutting a new kerf ahead of or beyond that shot-down face so that the loading out of one area or zone of coal is performed concurrently with making the cut, for vthe next advanced zone. This novel method very greatly reduces the time required in the normal cycle of cutting, shootingfand loading. For the performance of this novel method we provide a novel combination of mining, loading and conveying apparatus wherein the mining or kerf- 'cutting machine has combined with it apparatus for performing the loading and conveying operations. These'latter operations may be performed when the kerf-cutting machine is in situ and preferably while it is operating to make the next advanced cut. Moreover, said cutting machine is provided with devices whereby the structure of the machine itself cooperates and functions with the loading and conveying mechanism. Hence a relatively small space is required for the loading mechanism over and above that occupied by the cutting machine itself, while the devices for providing locomotion of the cutting machine from oney place to another are also available for positionngit for the loading and conveying operations. l

Another object of the invention is to economize on space underground. `That is, the combination of loading equipment with the structure of the cutting machine avoids the necessity of having separate pieces of equipment, whilel the novel method of using same simultaneously avoids the necessity of having'to withdraw and lodge the cutting machine in an unoccupied spacek in the Amine while the loading equipment is in operation and vice-versa.

In mining operations as formerly practiced, the cutting machine rst moves across the solid coal face to cut the kerf. It is then withdrawn and the over-cut or under-cut coal shot down. .Thereafter the shot-down coal isvloaded out either by mechanical loading mechanism and conveyers or by hand. Where mechanical loaders are used, they must be brought up to the shot-down face from some idle position in the mine for that purand alternately spacing same in idle position requires much additional space in the mine,

thereby preventing close timbering and also :re-

quiring considerable additional time andjjlaborinY order to move machines fromtheir idle to their active positions and vice-versa. It issometimesV necessary to cut out an extra space in 'the coal rib to accommodate the idle Inachine, as when r' driving a cross-cut or other narrow place. All this lostl time and motion are eliminated 'by the invention and the Vspace formerly ,required to be left available forpositioning the vidle machine or machines maybe timbered up as the mining opera-tion proceeds. v Y

In consequence it will be understood that our novel mining `vmethod and `apparatus very greatly increase the rapidity and eiliciency of the mining operations and thereby increase the amount of coal delivered from Aa given place in the mine within a given time. Thei-nvention also greatly ,reduces the expense ,o f'the initial equipment required because of the combination of several functions into Y.a single machine.

Another object .ofthe invention is to provide a single machine which simultaneously Aor concurrently is capable -of cutting kerfs ina coal seam, loading the shot-.down coal from the seam `face or place and also conveying the 'loaded coal to any desired remote point or receptacle in the mine. The loading and conveying apparatus employed with the invention is capable of indefinite extension sowas to -deliver its load at any desired `point in the mine and to convey same through and raround corners and along passages of `any required length `and complexity.. Thus the loading and conveying functions accompany `and cooperate with the ker-f-cu-tting operations of the apparatus regardless .of how'remote the working face may be `fromthe mine car entry.

In general the apparatus embodying our invention comprises a korf-cutting machine of conventional type having a cutter bar with an endless `,cutting chain thereon which in the preferred form is adapted to extend horizontally from the top of the machine and `cut a kerf at the top of .the vein or seam of coal. Attached to and built into the hase struc-ture of such mining machine we provide a kcircular guiding and bearing platform for cooperating with a concentrically yInov- ,ahle curved skip employing the principles of operation and `ccns-truction disclosed in our copending application filed March 10, 4.942, Serial No.

l 434,070. The usual drum driven cables are provided for affording locomotion to the cutting machine base, although preferably we provide additional guiding means on said base so that greater angular and directional movement can be imparted to the machine 'from any setting of the cable jacks. The size and height of the skip andthe position of .the circular guiding platform on the ,machine are preferably such that the skip is adapted to travel vabout the base vof the ,cutting machine -and beneath the overhanging cutter bar ,setlist the skip can travel relative to the cutter bar .and beneath Asame Without either interfering with the functions of the other.

`frame I0 is adapted to rest.

vframe AI'll about which travels the endless chain I I having cutting bits I2 thereon. The construction of this mechanism is conventional and con- 15 stitutes of itself no novel feature of the invention. However, in accordance with one feature of the invention said cutter bar is preferably somewhat longer than is customary for making the normal Idepth of kerf in short wall mining operations in thi-n .seam coal. The depth of ,kerfcut in coal dependssomewhat on the thickness of the seam and inrthin seam mines having seams of 30" or less thickness, the normal kerf is usually about v51/2' or 6 in depth, i. e. distance from the face to the back ofthe kerf at the end of the cutter bar. yIn practicing the presen-t invention it is desirable to have the cutter bar I of substantially greater length, preferably .having an over hang from its base of some 1Y0 or 11' so that the extended portion thereof may be used to cut a kerf in the solid wall beyond the pile of shot-down coal while the latter is being loaded out.

In accordance with the invention, the cutter bar frame I0 is 4preferably mounted on a machine frame I5 so as to`;project horizontally from the top thereof in cantilever fashion. Said frame I5r in general is conventional in construction and as shown has an upper at table surface I6 on which the inner end portion of the v.cutter bar A horizontally lrotatable sprocket Wheel I1 vis'moun-ted on top of said table I6 for driving the cutting chain II, said sprocket wheel being driven by vertical shaft I8 which is journaled in and extends downwardly through the top portion of the frame I5 and has a bevel gear I9 on its lower end. Said gear is driven by a bevel pinion .20 from a motor 2I by any suitable conventional drive reduction means. The rearportion of the sprocket wheel and chain kare surrounded by a vcrescent-shaped guard mem- 'ing and conveying away o-f shot-down coal may be effected about the base of said machine and wherein same acts as a guiding and lateral bearing support for the loading skip, This mechanism, including the skip, the guiding and bearing :surfaces and their cooperating means, is constructed and designed to operate substantially as shown and described in our copending application Serial No. 434,070, filed March l0, 1942. As shown, the base frame I5 of the mining machine is generally rectangular in shape, having a flat rectangular base portion 25, vertical side walls 26 and 21 and vertical front end wall 28.

A circular flat base plate v30 is designed to underlie and 'be fixed to the bottom 25 of machine base I5, the periphery of said plate 30 being provided with an upwardly-inclined lip 3| to serve as a guide and deflector for broken material on the mine floor. Projecting upwardly from said base plate 30, there is provided an annular vertical bearing wall 32 designed to give lateral lbearl ing support to bearing rollerson the skip. Said vertical wallv 32 is attached to the base-plate' 30 :by means of a bottom frame plate 33 which is shaped to t around and againstrthe external border of the rectangular base of the machine base |5. Said plate 33 is preferably weldedor otherwise suitably fixed to the basel plate 30. Spaced above and parallel to said plate 33 is an annular strengthening web 34. An upper verti-' cal bearing wall 35 is spaced above the lower wall 32 and is concentric therewith and of the same external diameter. Said wall 35 is similarly spaced about and attached to an elevated portion,

of the external walls of the machine base |5'by means of a horizontal web 36 which projects Ainwardly from said wall 35 and is fixed to the base |5 in any suitable manner. y Cable-engaging sheaves or rollers are mounted between the upper wall 35 and the lower wall 32 so that the external periphery of said rollers lies on the surface of the cylinder defined by the peripheral surfaces of the walls 32 and 35. The space between said walls 32 and 35 is otherwise unoccupied. The rollers 40 are substantially uniformly spaced about the cylindrical surface between the walls 32 and 35 and are mounted on vertical axles 4|, the upper ends of which are journaled in the web 36 and the lower ends in the web 34'.

'Thus it will be recognized that the lower portion of the base of the cutting machine is surrounded and encompassed by cylindrical bearing surfaces 32 and 35 having between them a plurality of sheaves or rollers for cooperation with the bearing members of the skip and the head rope 60 and tail rope 65 respectively, it being understood that the rollers 40 provide bearing support for guidance for said ropes.

The skip 50 is shown somewhat diagrammatically, representing one form of skip for cooper-- ating with the circular guiding and bearing' plat; form. Several forms of such skip are fully shown and described in our copending application Serial No. 434,070 and it will be understood that any form of said skip may be used in connection with the present invention and in cooperation with the guiding and bearing platform comprising the base 30, circular walls 32 and 35 and the intermediate rollers 40, all formedv as a circular attachment about the base of the cutting machine as hereinabove described. In general the skip as shown herein comprises an arcuate inner vertical side wall 5|, a concentric vertical outer wall i 52 with connecting horizontal end frame 'members 53. The bottom of said skip is open, while the side walls are preferably mounted on curved members 54 forming runners or skids for movement of the skip along the mine oor. At least one end of the skip is provided with pivoted doors 55 and 56 which in their open position lie parallel and against the inner and outer side walls respectively, but which may be drawn together about their pivots so that their free ends touch to close the skip after same has been loaded with coal. The skip is provided with at least one pair of divergent arms 10 and 1| which extend horizontally across the top of the skip and are mounted to turn horizontally with a turn table 12. Said arms are xed with respect to each other and extend horizontally from said turn table.k Each arm is provided with a verticallydepending end portion 13 on which is mounted a horizontally rotatable roller 14 which is adaptedto engage and beary against the vertical bearingsurface 35 of the guiding and bearing platform. A suitable rope-connecting clamp 15 is formed at the lower end of the arm 13 to which the head rope 60 is attached. The tail rope 65 is attached by similar means at the lower end of the .divergent arm 1 I. j

As stated, said arms are rotatable together with the turn table 12 and are movable into the positions shown in. Figs. 1 and 2 upon contact with the circular guiding and bearing surface 35 of the circular platform. The arms are rotatable together from said position to one in which the arm 10 extends axially of the skip and in front lof the end thereof when the skip is not in contact with suchvplatform, as shown in Fig. 4 for example. Thus the divergent arms 1i) and 1| afford means for easing and guiding the skip into concentric conformity with the periphery of the circular platform when drawn toward and against same by the pull of the head rope 60. When the skip is being pulled toward said platform (Fig. 4), the divergent arm 1| and its roller- 14 first encounter the curved sur'- face 3'5 of said platform. This contact causes the arm 1| to turn the turn table 12 and thereby rock the'arm 10t0ward and into contact with thecircular wallv 35 so that the rollers on the two arms take up the shock of impact andY simultaneously turn with the turn table so as to guide and ease the skip around and into con: centric relation with the circular platform. When the skip has so been brought into concentric bearing relation with the platform, the arms 10 and 1| will be in the position shown` inv Fig. l. Bearing rollers 18 and 19 are mounted at a lower level on the inner (wall 5| of the skip so that they bear against the lower circular wall 32 of the platform when the skip is in such concentric bearing relation to said platform. Thereafter pull on the head rope 60 will cause the skip to travel in a circular path or orbit vabout said circularplatform While exerting lateral bearing thrustr thereagainst, and the skip will continue so to travel in the direction of pull'of the head rope until said pull is relaxed.

Thereafter, upon exerting reverse pull upon the tail rope 65, the arm 1|, together with arm 10 and the turn table 12, will be drawn toward the tail end of the skip, travelling along the top thereof in arcuate-supporting trackways 58 until they reach a position corresponding to that shown in Fig. 1 at the opposite end of the skip. As disclosed in our copending application Serial No. 434,070 such sliding movement of the turn table 12 effects a closing of the doors 55 and 56 when the turntable performs the final portion of said sliding movement."

When the closing of the doors has thus been accomplished, continued pull on the tail rope will draw the skip around the circular platform in the reverse direction over the path on which it travelled due to the pull of the head rope. The skip is thus drawn away from concentricity withl the platform and as it so travels, the arm 1| will swing around into line with the tail rope and thus pull the skip'in. a straight line along the floor of the mine'to the ramp at the entry cr 'other place of unloading. By again reversing the direction of pull, the head rope will draw the arms '.'0 and 1| and the turn table 12 toward the head lend of the skip and thereby cause the doors 55 and 56 to reopen. Then the skip will be withdrawn leaving its load of coal behind-it and the'skip willf be returned into? concentric v(Fig. .2).

r'elation Vagain with the circular .platform about the ibase of the cutting machinefaszrpreviously described. i '.1 Thus itfwill be clear that by successively mov.- ingthe skip insuch manner about thecircular base `or platform around the cuttingmachine base, any shot-down coal lyingwvvithin th'e'prbit of the skip about said circular platform 38 will be loaded and conveyed away. It will be noted that the height of the skipv 50 andlts` superstructure', comprising thearms l0 and is such that they may always pass beneath the overhanging cutter'bar i8 and its attached mecha'- nism with substantial clearance therebetween Hence the skip may travel` about the base of the vcutting machine and load coal in its orbit without any interference with the positioning and operation of the cutter bar and chain. By virtuev of this arrangement it is therefore possible to load out shot-down coal vabout the base. of the cutting machine while at the same time operating the cutting chain to cut a kerf in solid coal lying .Within reach of the cutter bar. Thus the skip may be4 moved in and around the circular platform on the cutting machine regardless Yof whether or not the latter is simultaneously operating to cut a kerfv and also regardless of whether or not it is stationary or is moving across the mine iioor during the making of a transverse cut.

The` invention provides means for imparting travelling movement to the cutting machine and the circular platiorm thereabout so as to move same over the mine iloor in .anyxdesiredV direction, either forwardly or 'rearwardly or laterally in either direction and also to impart rotational lor angular movement to the machine about its base so as to be able to swing the cutter bar in anarcuate path. For this purpose we preferably employ a novel and simple system of drum.- Vdriven ropes and jacks. As shown in Figs. l and 2, a rope drum 88 is mounted on thecutting machine frame to rotate on a horizontal axis and be driven from the motor'2|- in known manner. That is, said drum is designed to be driven in either sense of rotation and also to be held stationary when desired. A- similar drum or reel 8| is similarly mountedat the opposite side of the 'frame l5 of the machine base to operate another rope in similar manner, If desired, however, said second drum 8| may not be driven but may merely be controlled by a brake. Said drums are commonly s provided on conventional cutting machines and no substantial change in their construction and arrangement is necessary for the purposes of the invention.

However, the invention provides means for guiding the ropes which are attached to `said ydrums or reels so as to impart the various sorts of travelling and angular movement to the cutting machine as previously stated. For this purpose rope 82, mounted to rotate .on a horizontal axis at a level just below the top of table I6 of the cutting machine frame. From said pulley the rope B2 may be directed in a horizontal plane in rany of several directions depending upon .-bracketplate 85 is upturned to provide an arcuate vertical wall 81 which is grooved at two levels .88 and 89 to provide upper and lower guide grooves for the ropes'irom the drums 88 and 8|. A similar segmental grooved rope-guiding bracket .90 is provided along the opposite side wall 2| -of the base 5.

Horizontally` .rotatable rope-guiding pulleys or sheaves are provided at either end of lthe two segments 85 and '90 so as to guide the ropes from the drums 80. and 8| in any desired direction. As, embodied grooved independently rotatable double pulleys 9|, 9|'- are mounted just beyond the rear end of the segment 98 and similar double pulleys 92, 92 arespaced therefrom. -Both pairs ofsaid'pulleys are supported on vertical axes mounted on an arcuate-supporting plate extendingin prolongation of the curve vof the periphery of the segment 90 .toward Athe `rear of the Inachine. A similar curved supporting plate 93 ex- .tends from the rear end of the segment 85 and .supports the two spaced double, independently rotatable horizontal pulleys 94, 94' and 95, 95. At the opposite or front end of the segment `85 there is mounted a pair of independently rotatable grooved pulleys 9'| and 91 on the same axle, supported on a bracket extending from the top of the frame 15 of the machine. A similar pair .of pulleys 98 and 86' is mounted on the opposite side of the cutter bar frame beyond the front end of the segment 85.

By means of the above-describedguide pulleys and grooved arcuate frames, we are enabled to directthe ropes 82 and 84 from the drums 80 and 8|v respectively, in substantially any desired direction or combination of directions to effect thedesired movements of the cutting machine. As the ropes 82 and 84 are shown in solid lines in Fig.l 1, ,same are positioned to `elect a forward movement of the machine in line with the cutter banjasfor advancing the machine into a coal face vfor sumpingsame to start a cut or merely to advance the machine toward a Wall in a forward direction. For this purpose the rope 82 is passed over the elevated pulley 83 and thence around pulley 8|V and along the groove 88 of the segmental guide 90 and tangentially to be anchored to a suitable jack |08 which is positioned toward the side and front of the vmachine base. Said jack may be of any suitable construction but preferably, and as shown, is the simple hand type of rail jack set in the oor and roof. In similar manner the rope84 is led from drum 8| under a pulley 98 at the lower level of the `machine and thence upwardly and over a similar verticalpulley 99 and thence around pulley 94 to jack |0| which is anchored in a similar and opposite spot to that of the jack iil. It will be seen that by winding up simultaneously on both drums 8D and 8| the entire cutting machine including its circular guiding platform will be advanced forwardly in the direction of the laxis of the cutter bar, the base plate 30 lof said platform sliding along the mine floor.

If it be desired to move the cutting machine laterally (i. e. at rightY angles to the forward or axial direction of the cutter bar), While maintaining the cutter bar in the forward direction, the jacks and ||1| and the ropes 82 and 84 will be positioned as shown in Fig. 5 for example. .Ihat is,.rope 84 will be in the position 8 and `)ack |0| will be in the position |0|. Rope 82 will be directed over the top of drum 86 and thence forwardly around sheave 98 and thence to the right along line 82 to jack |80. It will be clear that by 'taking up on drum 88 and paying :out from drum 8| the machine and'its cutter bar will be moved towardv the right in a straight aasairs line, thereby making it possible to make a'transverse or lateral cut as shown for example in Fig. 5.v In a similar manner'the machine may be moved toward the left by opposite arrangements ,of the respective ropesv and jacks as will beobvious. -Such arrangement would be made for example whenthe machine is drawn back after the end of a cut or when it is desired to cut .crosswise in the opposite direction, i. e. by movement toward the left.

fIhe above-described mechanism also makes it possible. to rotate the machineon its own circu- Klar base plate 30 and thereby to impart any desired or arcuate movement to the cutting maf chine andto the projecting cutting bar I; The disposition of the ropes 82 and 84 for such angular movement is indicated in Fig. 4 for example. For, this purpose the jacks |00 and IDI are disposed opposite each other on a line tan.- "gent to @the s forward edge ofthe machine base, that is, substantially intheposition shown inFig. 1. 'Rope 82 Ais then reeved around pulley 9I:, thence aroundfthe arcuate periphery of` rope'- guiding segmentll, across pulley96 and pulley 91 ,and then along line 82". to jack lill.. Rope -84 is similarly reevedaround pulley 94 and the guiding periphery of arcuate segment 85, thence :across pulleys 91 and 96 and made fast to jack 100, thus passing along the line 84". Then, by taking up on rope 84 and paying out on rope 82, it'will be clear that the entire cutting machine will be rotated on its base plate 38 on the mine iioor so as to Swingin a clockwise arc to make anV arcuatemovement or cut as indicated in Figs. 14,5 and 7 for' example. f

By taking up on rope v82" and paying out on opey, reeved in the directions described above, it will be understood that the cutter bar :and-cutting machine may be similarly rotated in the opposite sense, as. for example counter-clocklwise from the .positionshown in Fig. 4.

.When onlyone drum, say ydrum 88, is motordriven, angular rotation of the machine maybe `had byv use of the pulleys 92, 92 andil,v 95. To

turn the cutter clockwise rope 82 is reeved about ,pulley 92, then :about pulleysil, 94 and groove 88. of segment 85 and thence around :pulleys 91 land 95to jack. IElli.` Rope84 passes around pulrleys. 95;', 82', 9|', lower. groove of segment 90, pulleys 96" and 9? to jack lill;r By taking upon "drum 8D and paying out on-drum 8| the machine :is given the desired clockwise rotation; By other similar rope-threadings al counter-clockwise rota- :tionmaybe obtainedv when only drum S0 is powered and. drum 8l controlled by brake. .,fig. Llillustrates application of theinvention .to-ithe driving and loading vof an entry or narrow place lsuch'asfthe neckof aroom. In the initial position ofthev apparatus, a mass of'coal has Ibeenshot down from the arcuate kerf A which wasfcut in the coal -by the cutter bar operating 'from-*the machine, when positioned as shown in `full lines. During this initial cutting operation only, the skip 50 is lmaintained idleto the rear of the cutting machine along vthe rope line in its normal path of movement. After the rst kerf 'A has been cut the coal is shot down, the cutting machine being vleft in the'initial position shown `or,'if desired, slightly retracted during the shoot'- ing operation. l=-

-T""The next' operation'l is to advance the cutting machine forwardlyrso'as to'sump the end of the Avcutter barinto the solid' coal vat the right-hand side of the entry. .Thismovernentbrings the end of the cutter :bar vintoithe position B so that the circular basev platform thereof occupies an advanced position B inthe place. In that position the skip 5l! may be advanced into contact with the circular platform to load the coal in its path about said platform in the manner fully described in our copending application Serial No. 434,070. On its iirst inward movement the skip 58 will occupy the position B as indicated, thereby loading out the segment of coal dened by the outline of the skip in the position B as shown. The skip :isthen withdrawnin the reverse direction by the tail rope, its end doors closing so that it takes thecoalwith it out along the rope line `to the mine entry for delivery. kOn its vnext trip .tneskip proceeds vfurther about the base of the Acutting machine in position B to load out the remainder of coal within itsambit in that position. As kwill be understoodjn making this secondmovement to load in the position B, the skip ,will pass kunder the overhanging sumped-in cut lter bar lil and will-withdraw from beneath it .to unload. When so sumped-in, the cutter bar contributes to the steadiness of the machine during the loading movements of the skip. about its base.

The cutting machine is then advanced so that itsl base occupies the peripheral outline C and the end of its cutter bar is sumped to the position -C as indicated. While'in this position the skip il@ is moved to load out substantially all the relmrainingcoal in the shot-down mass, the vskip occupying the arcuate position C on its lrst' trip and clearing up the remainder of the lshot-down mass on its second trip as will be obvious. Durring the loading operations while the` cutting ma- :chine base is in the position C, the cutter bar is free to move arcuately to the left, thuscutting a new kerf on the' 'arc C in the solid face of coal beyond the arc wall A.A This cutting andarcuate sweeping movement o f the cutter bar` lil may be performed while' the skip Vis travelling rearwardly onfts unloading movement and returning to the Iface forV its next load',` but the cutting'and swinging 'movementsoff the bar need not necessarily be stopped even during the time whenthe skip 'is in load-ing contact with the circular base plat.- form andm'oving beneaththe cutter bar. That is,the cutter'bar andthe circular platform may be'swinging vto the left or counter-clockwise v,aloout'the'center of said platform in position C while at the same time theA skip is travelling clockwise jalong said circular platform to load thecoal underlying that portion ofthe cutter bar extending across the'shot-down area. l 1

- Fig. 5 illustrates'operations of the invention in yloe'ginnfir'ig simultaneous loading and. cutting across the 'straightiace of a room. That isfaf'ter the room ne'ckhas beengdriven Vas shownvinFig. y4, ,a widerv place is: opened up to form a roomand in thingseamfmining the widthof sucha Vroorn may be approximately 40 it. at most, while in the usual mining practice vaccording tothe room and pillarf'system, the width of the rooms is more commonly about 20. or 25 ft. in thin seam mines, 1andgin many seams of greater thicknesses, (i. ye'. l5l ori 6 ft. thick), the room width maybe about 15; to 118 it. Fig .5 AShows the operation of ad'- .vancingfsuchz au room withv thefmechanismdn 'starting position to'load the shot-down area`and cut the adjacent uncut area concurrently.V As shown,-infthisviewyit'wi11 be assumed matin@ :zone vor afreamarked ffcut'andshot area?- has valr'efadyffbeen ci'it'loy*transversepassage` of the cutting' machine"andI the coal so `cut has been -shot 'down' and isfeady for loading out.V For the latter operation, the combined cutting and loading machine is first advanced to the position marked 1. In that position, the end of the cutter bar extends through the kerf above the shotdown coal and is sumped a short distance int'c the uncut or solid area of coal beyond at the point marked 1. With the circular platform and 'cutter bar of the machine in these positions I, the skip may be moved to load outs the coal in the dotted area l and after conveying that load to the entry the skip will return and load out the remaining mass of coal in the arcuate zone or area 2. Having thus cleared a portion of the shot-down coal in the path of the machine,

:the latterfmay then be advanced to the position 'II-ishown insolidflines. From its initial position the cutter bar movesv forwardly along the rib of the room tothe left-hand4 position II as shown.

.In that positionthe cutterbary is capable of being moved on an arc to the right as indicated by the arcuate arrow and thiscutting movement is performed with the base of the machine in the po-y sition II until` the cutter bar has reached the straight ahead position IIa, Thus it has cut an arcuate kerf having a final width at IIasubstantially equal to that of the original kerf in the shot-down area.

, While the circular platform of the machine is in the position II and is cutting out the arcuate kerf just described, the coal in the .areas 3 and 4 may be loaded out byv loading movements of the skip about the circular platform in the manner already disclosed. kIt will be understood that in loading out all of these zones I, 2, Sand 4, some or all of the skip ,will pass under the overhanging cutter bar and lthis operation may take place either while the cutter bar is in its stationary position IIa or while itis cutting and moving to- Ward that position in the manner` previously described. The roughly triangularareav D will ordinarilymbe left unloaded to save time and operations althougha portion of it could be loaded out by moving., the machine somewhat to the left from position II if this were desired. Y

Fig. 6 illustrates subsequent operations in loading and cutting the coal across the face of the room from the positions shown'and describedin connection' with Fig. 5. In the operation shown` lin Fig.` 6 the combined cutting and loading ,machine 'is moved progressively, by the jack-fastened cables, toward the right in astraightline parallel 'to the face of the iom and by 'such'movements the^c`oalin the shot-'down area." is progressively loaded fout while the kerf is progressively advanced into the uncut or solid area beyond by the projecting cutter bar. In order to permit loading during this-lateral V'or right-handY movement of the machine, we preferably yemploy the semif' circular platform 450 to act as a dire'ctiohalguide andsupport for the skip tail "rope and the skip in converting the direction ofmovement of the skip from straight forward to the lateral. The construction and specific operation of said semicircular platform are fully described and shown inV our copendingapplication Serial No. 434,070 and :need not be repeated here. rAlso a simple directional sheave 460" is positioned opposite thel semi-.circular platform 450 to maintain the parel; Y lelfspacing of the skip headrcpe `from its `tail In the *dotted-line position III of the vcircular platform and. of the cutter bar itwill be seen that the segmental area ofshot-.down coal may be loaded out by the skip while, a. vstraight kerf cut lparallelvr to the face `of thecoal isconcurrently asserts and this is done by a simple rectilinear movement to the right by the entire circular platform,

cutting machine and cutter bar, thus bringing the end of the cutter bar into the position V as lshown and thereby further advancing the straight kerf from the line III to the line IV.v While so moving the platform to the right the skip can continue to perform its loading and conveying movements. From position IV the skip can load out a complete arcuate area 6 by simply moving. in, clockwise, about the circular platform in position IV and retreating'in the usual manner.

It will be understood that the circular platform is capable of advancing across the room at any time when a path has been cleared before it in the. shot-down-coal by the loading action of the skip.l Thus the circular platform and cutting machine. to which it is attached may be moving at the same time that the skip is travelling about it to loadand to' unload. For example, in Fig. 6,

' the platform maybe started moving to the right just as soon asthe skip has withdrawn about it with its load far enough to leave a cleared path through the shot-down coal tangent to the inner edge of the platform. When the travel of the lskip is sufficiently short, the skip may be moved back into the pile of shot-down coal while the platform is still travelling to the right. In other words, locomotion of the platform and cutting machine over the mine floor yis no impediment to loading action of the skip and such loading andv unloading movements of the skip may frequently take place during locomotion of the platform.

Thus it willV be seen that the bulk of the coal shot-down in ther room of Figs. 5 and 6 can be loaded out by progressive straight-line advancing movements ofr themachine. iAs the machine advances, arcuate bites of shot-'down coal are loaded out of the shot-down area while concurrently the standing in placelat the right-hand end of the room. which it' has' reached by the progressive movements previously described. Preferably, however, some timemay be saved `by drawing thexmachine back to. the left-hand side ofthe roomwhilethe drilling of thegnewly-cut zone .is being done. Thus the machine will be in position to start a new loading and cutting cycle as soon as the shooting has been done-that is, it will be.

back in the starting4 position for the next 'ad'- vanced zone as shown vin Fig. 5.

In Fig. '7 operation Vof the invention is shown applied to the driving ofa cross-cut from a room. Asihere shown this operation is taking place after the end ofthe room has been reached and the withdrawing ofg the pillar formed'by the left-hand rib is about to start. 'However, a similar opera-1 tion would .beperformed inLmaking any cross-cut to the side from an advancing room. j As will, be clear yfrom the drawings, the successive positions of vthe, mechanism infFig. 7 are substantially similar to .thosershown and dei scribed in connection with Fig'. 4. The particu` lar diierences in Fig. 7 are that the direction of advance is at right angles tothe original rope lines so that the semi-circular platform 450 is employed, while the loading movements of the skip about the circular platform .are counterclockwise in direction instead of clockwise. The successive movements of the cutting machine and of the skip to load out the successively-cut and shot-down areas between the walls formed by the termini of the arcuate cuts will be obvious from the legends on the drawings. f

A modiedapplication of the invention is illustrated in Fig. 8. In this form of the invention a short and relatively constant distance of haul for the arcuate skip is maintained, so that loading out of the shot-down coal from the path of advance of the cutting machinev can be conducted expeditiously and at a fairly constant rate so that cutting and loading will progress rapidly; When the arcuate skip is used to convey'the loaded-out coal from the shot-down face to the car attire entry, the distance of travel of said skip varies greatly depending on the'position of the face with respect to the entry. That is, the distanceof the travel of theskip may vary from a few feet up to 300 ft. or more.v When miningoperations are conducted at'the greater distances,

the time consumed in moving the loaded skip from the working Yface to the entry is a relativelygreat part of the loading and cutting cycle because the cutting machine cannot advance to a new posi-- tion across the face (to position IV in Fig. 6 forexample), until the skip has loaded out the coal from the segmental zone 5. Thus the cutting of the kerf from position III to position IV must' wait upon the travel of the skip over the round trip of 600 it., whereas the average such round trip for any position of the apparatus in the mine will be in the neighborhood of 300 it.

AThe arrangement shown in Fig. 8 obviates the major portion of such delay and thereby Ienables the cutting machine to be moved laterally virtually continuously, while the loading and cutting operations are greatly speeded up and the amount of coal loaded out per hour thereby greatly increased. In accordance with this featureof the invention, the skip 5u is not drawn all theway to the entry from-thecutting machine, but is caused to travel a relatively -shortdistance to unload and thecoal unloadedby it is then picked up by another means of conveyance and delivered to the mining car at the entry. As here shown the skip 553 is caused to deliver .its load of coal L at a point near the rib R, so that the maximum travel of the skip from loading position to unloading at Said; shafting .f is provided as Aextensions of the driving shaftv for-thefmachine rope drums 80 and 8|,zpreviously described; By means ofsuitable clutch controlsV 5|.5and 520, either set of rope drums may be operatedftogether or separately as desiredv so y:that the skip ropes and 65 may b'e l'controlled to advance and withdraw the skip: for loading, purposes, while at the same time the cutting machine may be advanced to make the next cut inthe solid face of coal beyond the showdown-mass as `rapidly as the clearing away of the coal-by the loading operation will permit. Obviously a very great increase in the speed of the cutting and' loading cycles will result.

Any suitable .meansmay be provided. for removing. loadedmut coal from the pile L'thereof onthe minefiioor.- `.As shown a conventional skip 250adapted to operate on a straight line vtravel is kindicated for thispurpose. Said skipk is drawn into-the pile .L bya head rope 25I, thelgates 252- ofsaid skip at the head endr thereof being held open by inward pull of the. head rope. When the skiplis charged :with .coal 'by s'uch inward movement, the pullon thehead rope is relaxed. and the tail-rope 253- is pulled .toreverse thedirectionof theskip, closing the doors and drawing outa load of `coalfrom the pile L. The capacity of this straight lineskip 250 may be substantiallyl greater .than that` of the arcuate skip 50- so thata relatively long haul on thepart of the skip1250 will nevertheless'enable it to keep pace with the deliveries of coal-t0-thepile L by the skip 50.. As shown,.the ,head1 and tail ropes for the skip =250. are operatedfrom the conventional power drums andv driving apparatus K in the entry., A lsuitable turning drum or rope-guiding sheave 255 willbe mountedin appropriate posi-f tion,4 beyond the vpile L and outI of the path of de-- livery movement of `the .skip 50.' A ramp R'is conventionally shownat the end of the'delivery path oftheskip .250 for receiving coal therefromv and delivering'same into the: mine car 400 on the tracksill in `-the `entry.f, The ramp R may have an openingv M15 in its bottom plate for that purpose, ..It willbe understood that thev skip-250 prefelablyyhas an open bottomand in general aybe constructedr likegthat4 described in vPatent No 1 -,fl'7l,(2'l toPackeixf.v 'y' .Thisyaspect ljCyf.glibc-:inventionv isnot limited t0 the use ofI a reciprocable.auxiliaryskip like that shown ingpFig. v,Any suitable means for conveying loadedpllt coal L to the entry may be provided, such vas a continuous belt conveyor, a. shaking,orreciprocating .conveyor or any other desired form of-apparatus for the purpose indi-Y V cated. i

point L is that of the'width of the face which Y in practice is -usually 40 or less. Thus for 'this` purpose the semi-circular platform 450 is positioned near its normal locationalong the ribl (as in Fig. 6 for-example) and-the'travel of-the `skipis from the unloading pile L, just beyond orabout the periphery of the semi-circular platform 450, back to the circular platform at the cutting ma; chinewherever' it may be across the width of the face Y -f A For this purpose the head vrope and the tail rope are preferably actuated by power.v drurnsv located on the cutting machine itself or. in the 'vicinity thereof. As shown in Fig. 8 a` drum 50.0 for the head rope anda drum 5H) for the tail rope are mounted on the base 30 of the; circular platform aboutthe Ycutting machine, said drums "beingdriven, from the motorl 2| of the cutting machine. by cross-shafting .asA indicated.;,

A ,somewhat modiiiedgfoperation'of the invention is illustrated in Fig. 9, applied tothe driving of, a narrow, placev similarto that 'shown in Fig.=4.

In the modied ,operation contemplated Afby this as v pectof the invention, the. loading'` out ofa shotdown mass of coal .is'completed beforevcutting the next kerf in the solid face of coal ahead. The cutter bar I0 of the machine is caused to make an varcuate cut'through asomewhat greaterangle than the net widthrof the place so that upon' completion ofthe cutting vmotion the end of the cutter -bar .maybe held beyond one side wallofthe `place atthe limit of-its arc. l Askip may then be lmoved around the circularplatform 30at the baseof the machine, upto thevedge'of thecutter bar fwhile soheld, so asto provide a narrow place havingy a predeterminedwidth by loading out all;` the shot-down coal within the orbit .of movement or the `skip. .,Bypo operatingthe skip doesv not,

pass under the cutter bar and hence itis possible to use a skip of greater capacity, i. e'` askip: having. a vertical height equal to the distance from the floor to nearly the top ofthekerf.

The detailed steps in carrying, out this' opera tion are illustrated in Fig. 9. As there shown'the cutting machine having the circular base 3l) is provided with a cutter bar shownwiththe machines vpreviously described'. That is, cutter bar H will preferably extend about 'l ft. beyond the circular peripheral outline of the machine base. Assuming that the effective or desired width of the placev is to be the distance XY (that is, a little more than the diameter of the circular machine fbase,L plustwice the radial width offthe skip),

ing ofsame is preferably restricted so that 'the g cut portion of coall in the triangular zone orpocket 300 is left intact so that except for the kerfs in said triangular pocketsxthe faceof the coal. remains intact alongxthe sides of the place.V

When the arcuate kerf 2H--2l3 has 'been' fully cut, the cutter bar II0 is heldin itsultimate position atxthe limit ofthe out, i. e. the. point IIS;

during the loading out of the shot-down coal.A

The skip is then. brought. in to load in the manner previously described aroundthe circular base tion 202D. Thereupon vthe cuttingmachirne is adzgaeaivs mounted on the head rope B0. Said sleeve is somewhat oval' in cross-section so as to substantially increase the thickness or diameter of the cable at that point and thereby act as a cam to actuate a switch as subsequently described. The sleeve 350 isv positioned on the head rope at an appropriate distance N from the end of the head arm 10,. said distance being calculated as sufficient to give the operator time to slow down the skip sufliciently before the arm 1I strikes the adjacent surface of the circular or semicircular platform. A similar sleeve ori signal-operating cam buttonrl is positioned onv the tail rope 65 at a similarly appropriate distance N from arm 1I of the-skip to which said rope is attached.

. Referring to Fig. 1l, means are provided wherebythe passage of fs1eevev35 past a predetermined locus on the half-wheel 450 is caused to actuate a signal-operating switch 355. Said switch (preferably a' simple micro-switch)V is mounted on a suitablerpanel 356 'positioned in a horizon- `talplane between two cable-guiding sheaves 40 on said semi-circular platform. The switch is adapted to be actuated by a plunger 351 reciprocally mounted in brackets 358 on the panel 356. Said plunger has a roller 359 on its end remote from the switch. The plunger is normally held away from contact with the switch by a suitable i spring 360 and n said normal position the roller 359 of the plunger lies just clear of the normal line of passage of the cable (or 65 as the case may be), when same is undervtension and being drawn about the surface of the semi-circular `or vanced straight forward along thecente'r line of f the place tothe second. position, shown in dottedl lines; and marked Z. In so advancing the cutting machine, the end' of the cutter bar ishel'd at"- thecorner or pocket 2I3 ofthe cut so that the circular platform. As shown in Fig. 1l, when 'said cable is so under tension, it forms a, chord will be obvious.

cessive movements of the skip about thefbase of the machine injposition Z to load out the arcuate All the coal hav'-l ing thusy been loaded out, the skipl isv Withdrawn;

the cutter bar swung back ,t'o^'the rightin the-v clockwise 1 directionr and Y the1 machine advanced suiilciently4v to makeia: second` arcuate out employ; ing again substantially the-.full length Aofthe projectingportion ofthe cutter bar'|l0.`

By theseoperations it will be clear that a nar-- row place can be rapidly cutz and loaded out byv merely advancing the cutting machine'insuc'ces sive steps along the center line of the place while" the loading Iand cutting operations are performed When the head cable til is pulling the skip towardY the semi-circularv platform 450 (or the cir-v cular platform 30 which has a similar switch mechanism) the passage of the sleeve 35B past the switch plunger will cause said switch to close and'thereby impart a. signal to the operator (by means hereinafter described). at a predetermined time. in `advance of thev Contacty of the skip arms vactuated by sleeve 35D, is positioned at 365 on the .55 circular platformll. It will be understood that when the tail ropepasses by said switches, the

` sleeve 35| thereon will not actuate said switches about thecirculargbase `of said' machine in-such .successive positions'. addedicapat-ztyv of the? higher skip` in driving such a narrow place will? be substantial inasmuchas this;` modified opera-La' tion requires fewer-,changes of position onthepar'tI of the machineduring. the cutting.I and loading? orga given-,quantity ofcoal.. x f A In Figs. l0 and 1l there shown.. means fori giving signalsto they operator of. the.` hoist. for! theskip cables so that he may knowwhen the skip is approachingscontact with-the circular is true of the head rope.

platform 302 and thev semi-circular platform 450';

This; information? is vhelpful to thehoist oieiator-y so .that he mayj slow down, theskipfjustbefore makes .contact-r with the arcuate, surfaces of" sa-i'd' unless said tail rope is under tension and the same Consequently the switches will beactuated only when the particular `direction'of movement of the skip is apparent to the hoist operator; Y

Theinvention` provides a signal light 310 mounted in. asuitable box 31| adjacent the station of the hoist'. operator atthe hoist unit K in the entry. Saidlight is on a circuit with regard t'ofwhich the two switches 355 and 365 are in parallel so that the light. is energized by the closing o'fxeither switch. Av suitable delayed action relay 3`1'5 is provided insaid circuit to hold on the light for a short` time after either switch is actuated.

Ini some"V cases' it also may be desirable to give .the hoist roperator another signal, indicating to.

actuating sl'eve -orSbuttozFr-wis formedor 'Iii him when: the skip has travelledv inwardly about the circular platform 30 to the maximum extent desired--that is, until its head end has reached a point beyond which itis not safe for it to travel farther.' For this purpose a similar switch 380 may be formed beyond such point on the periphery of the circular platform, same to be actuated by the sleeve 350 of the head rope as previously described. 1 A suitable separate circuit is shown for the cooperation of said switch in energizing a separate 'signal light 38 I.

Fig. 12 illustrates a modied form of construction for the lower portion of the circular platform 3.0, wherein the normally vertical lower bearing wall 32 thereof is inclined upwardlyand inwardly, as indicated by the numeral 320. In this form of guiding platform, the sheaves 400 are also,` preferably shown as grooved. These modifications arefound desirable in preventing the skip cables from sliding or falling away from contact with the guiding sheaves on the platform when such .cable is slack. As shown, the inclination of the lower guidingl track 320 tends to` force the cable inwardly and upwardly and into the grooved sheave whenever suflicient tension is applied to the cable drawing it toward the periphery of the circular platform. Fig. 13 illustrates various positions which said cable may assume in travelling around the platform and indicates how the inclination of the lower portion of said platform facilitates its recovery.

In order to enable the ski-p to have suitable bearing contact with said lower inclined wall 320 of the platform, the lower rollers [9 on the skip are mounted on suitably inclined axles 40| held in appropriately-formed brackets 402 as shown in Fig. 12.

T he invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom Within the scope of the accompanying claim without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What we claim is: v

Apparatus for mining coal including in coml bination a kerf cutter bar having! a supporting base, said cutter bar being of such length that it will extend into and cut a kerf of substantial depth when the machine base is positioned adjacent a mass of coal shot down from a previously cut kerf, a coal-loading skip movable to- 'Ward the base and along same into said mass of .coal for loading and movable along and away from said base for conveying away coal from said shot-down mass, and means for so moving the skip relative to the base and cutter bar when same are positioned as aforesaid, whereby the skip is capable of loading out shot-down coal lying between the machine base and the solid face of the coal while a fresh kerf is being cut in said solid face.

RICHARD PEALE.

REMBRANDT PEALE, JR. 

